Unbreakable
by Kaleidoscream Kat
Summary: After Kova saved her life, Narti had nowhere to go. Betrayed by Lotor, hated by the universe for her crimes, and persecuted by any Galra who recognized her, she had to find her own way to carry on. But she wasn't alone, and as long as she had Kova by her side, she was unbreakable.


**I present a Narti Lives AU because SHE DESERVED BETTER. :(**

 **I made up the terms rhegn'at and ta'ngehr to describe the bond I imagine Kova and Narti have because I can't think of an English term that fits. Basically they have special meaning for Narti's (non-Galra) culture (Xendites).**

 **Kareth: A powerful psychic bond formed with mutual consent. Both of them share thoughts, with their minds completely open to each other. Xendites value the Kareth immensely. Kareth En is formed between two Xendites; Kareth Et is formed between a Xendite and an outsider.**

 **Rhegn'at: The Xendite in a Kareth Et**

 **Ta'ngehr: The outsider in a Kareth Et**

 **Rhegn'at and ta'ngehr are used as terms of endearment (not romantically though).**

 **Also:**

 **》** **words《** **= Kova speaking to Narti**

 **《** **words》** **= Narti speaking to Kova**

* * *

The base would be destroyed. Kova knew it. Zethrid looked at him, eyes beckoning, asking for him to join her as a memento of her betrayed and slain lover, but Kova stayed put. Some bonds, once forged, could never be broken. There was a certain type of love and devotion that defied mortality. He and Narti had one such bond. He could not betray it by leaving her to fall into death alone. Zethrid trailed behind her three comrades, casting one last glance over her shoulder.

Sticky indigo liquid stained Kova's fur, pouring from the long gouge in Narti's body. She wasn't quite gone, but the wound was fatal and the witch's hold on her had been destroyed.

The witch...Kova vaguely remembered her. Before she had been Haggar she had been Honerva, his gentle and caring owner. The power of the quintessence had poisoned her spirit. He mourned Honerva's demise at the hands of Haggar.

He despised Haggar for killing his first owner. He despised her more for indirectly killing his rhegn'at. A low, keening cry fell from his throat as he mourned Narti, who seeped more and more into oblivion with every passing moment.

Zarkon's voice was distracting him from his vigil. With a light rumble of discontent, he glared at the nearest speaker. Zarkon had once given him toys and treats and refused to get up whenever Kova curled up in his lap to sleep. Quintessence poisoning had killed him as well. It had given Kova life, but overexposure meant death.

Kova's head tilted. Quintessence had saved him when he had nearly died. Could it do the same for his rhegn'at? He nuzzled against the crook of her neck, wondering if she was too far gone to understand him when he told her 》I will return.《 Lotor kept vats of standard quintessence nearby, and he hadn't had the time to load all of them into his ships when he left with his three remaining generals. It was a chance to save Narti, and Kova was willing to do whatever he could to keep her alive.

* * *

The first thing Narti noticed was a familiar weight on her chest, a familiar purr reaching her ears, a familiar scent drifting around her. She weakly raised a heavy, trembling hand to rest atop Kova's head. He purred louder.

《You saved my life.》

》I will not lose my rhegn'at to an unjust death.《

《We must go. I am not strong enough to use your eyes, and my mind and senses are hazy from the blood loss. Guide me to the ships, ta'ngehr.》

Kova jumped off of her and she pushed herself to her feet, her tail swishing to balance her weakened body. She pitched forward and splayed one hand on the floor to catch herself.

《I'll need to find a viable match for a blood transfusion,》 she observed, staggering up. The base rocked with an explosion but Narti's tail was quicker to compensate this time.

》This way!《 Kova's light paw steps were clear in her ears, even with the sensory distortion due to blood loss. She followed him as fast as her weakened body would allow.

She could piece together what had happened. Kova had managed to find some quintessence and used enough to heal her without poisoning her spirit and leaving her a corrupted shell. Her wound had closed, but the scar was tender and the gouge in her armor had sharp jagged edges that painfully dragged over her it.

《Kova. Wait for a moment,》 she requested, stopping so she could strip off her armor. The other generals had been uncomfortable with this (Lotor even more so), which was confusing to her at first. She had grown up in a society where clothes were odd and those who wore them were shunned for their disorganized mental state. Upon being brought into the Galran ranks due to her mixed heritage, she had found that their standards (and those of most of the universe, for that matter) were backwards. Narti had eventually determined that the ability to perpetually see caused this deficiency. No one was around now though, so she wasn't being culturally insensitive or ableist by keeping her body nude.

Kova sensed she was ready and bounded off again. Moving was easier for Narti now that her armor was gone. She had become accustomed to the smothering sensation of apparel during her service to the Galra Empire, but now she felt _free_.

The hangar wasn't far, thankfully. Narti quickly boarded a fighter and slid into the pilot seat. Kova curled up on her lap and she gently stroked his back, his warmth and soft fur no longer barred by bothersome attire. She started the fighter by rote memory and managed to escape the attacking fleets unnoticed—mostly because they were more focused on destroying the abandoned base, pursuing Lotor, and apparently recovering from the abrupt and brief appearance of Voltron. Her hands shook with exhaustion as she made it to empty space, her radar detecting nothing nearby.

》Sleep. You need it,《 Kova suggested. Narti leaned back in the seat.

《Once I find a helmet and spare armor,》 she promised. As much as she hated wearing clothes, being in a fighter and on the run from armed enemies bore a high risk of being exposed to the vacuum of space. Kova's tail swished in discontent but he reluctantly agreed that safety came first. Narti turned on autopilot.

》I will help. A set of eyes could be useful, even if you are too weak to use them yourself.《 Kova jumped off of her lap.

Luckily, spare armor and helmets weren't hard to find. After the incident that left Acxa unexpectedly stranded inside a weblum without supplies, Lotor had decided to add emergency storage to every fighter he had, complete with armor, food, water, and all manner of weapons. He was a shrewd leader.

》He betrayed you without explaining why, attempting to kill you despite all you have done for him,《 Kova told her, sensing the sorrow that stemmed from remembering the prince.

《I know.》 Narti fumbled with the armor. 《Did he think I had willingly betrayed him? When I was dying, I could feel Haggar's presence in my mind, but I was unaware until then.》

》Lotor becomes blinder to all but his lust for power with every varga. That truth is evident now, 《 Kova replied.

《Zethrid, Acxa, and Ezor should get away from him before it's too late...》 Narti felt a pang of fear for them. Her heart ached with loss.

》They are sensible. They will,《 Kova assured her, winding around her ankles. Narti fastened the last piece in place and put on her helmet, then lowered herself to the floor and rolled onto her back.

《I'll never see them again, will I? Acxa, Ezor…Zethrid…》 Narti's fists clenched. 《I've lost them all.》

》"Never" is a strong word,《 Kova pointed out, curling up against her side. 》But for now, we should avoid being recognized.《

《Yes. We'll need to find a less recognizable ship, and I'll need non-Galran garb,》 Narti agreed. 《But I'll worry about that after I rest.》

》Good. Sleep well, rhegn'at. I will wake you if anything happens.《

《Thank you.》 Narti ran her hand over Kova's fur and he purred. 《Even if I've lost everything else, having you by my side is comforting. Never leave me, my ta'ngehr.》

》I won't,《 Kova promised. 》Our bond is unbreakable.《

Narti felt herself slipping into sleep, her mind relaxing. Kova was right. Despite everything that had happened, she knew everything would be fine somehow. A Kareth Et was a bond that defied the bounds of existence. It transcended life itself. Nothing could break it. This was going to be a difficult road, but she wasn't alone.

And she never would be.

* * *

 **Please tell me your thoughts! :)**  
 **And I reiterate, because I cannot express how strongly I feel about this: Narti deserved better.**


End file.
